Top juniors clash in PPS tennis meet

The Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Valle Verde Country Club National Age-Group gets going tomorrow with over 300 players from all over mixing it up in a rare gathering of the country’s top juniors and rising stars at the VVCC indoor and outdoor tennis courts in Pasig City.

Leading campaigners from Sultan Kudarat, Davao, San Carlos City, Los Baños, Ilocos, Lucena, Quezon City, Rizal, Pangasinan, Dumaguete, Agoo, La Union, Lipa, Cavite, Malabon, Cainta and Manila gear up for six days of top notch tennis, all seeking podium finish in the tournament presented by Dunlop and sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop.

Bea Acena from Ilocos and Anna Laura De Myer from San Fabian, Pangasinan top-bill the girls’ 18-and-under cast that also includes Denise Bernardo from Los Baños, Danna Abad from Davao, Paula Uy from QC and Sultan Kudarat’s Carlyn Guarde.

Vince EJ Tugade, also from Sultan Kudarat, Valle Verde’s Athan Arejola, Loucas Fernandez from QC and Dumaguete’s Ibarra Ortega, on the other hand, lead the chase in the boys’ premier side of the event hosted by the Valle Verde Country Club headed by Unified Tennis Philippines OIC Richie Lozada and officers and members of VVCC.

All nine categories feature 32-players draws with the girls’ 16-U division even holding a qualifier to accommodate the big number of entries seeking spots in the event backed by Asiatraders Corp. and sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines, made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg.

“It’s inspiring to see these young, talented players going up against each other in a top-notch tournament, this being a Group I event,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro. “While the fancied bets will be out to assert their might, we also expect surprises and reversals all week.”